REVIEW: Pippa by Malynda Schlegel @malyndaschlegel

A big thanks to the author for this copy in return for my honest review.

I'd buy this just for the cover alone.

In the small town of Pepper Rock, there lives a family.

A daddy,

a mommy,

a little girl.

In the town, there are whispers.

Don't get close.

That girl isn't good.

She's just like her parents.

My name is Pippa.

I like my life,

the company I keep.

And I'm not supposed to like it.

My Review:

The cover immediately makes me think horror. When the author presented this book, she did tell me it was psychological suspense, but it had been a few weeks before I had a moment to read it. Somehow I still expected a horror element - but really, there's not much more horrific than a creepy kid right?

This definitely falls in the psychological suspense category but I would also file it under a character study. Pippa is quite the character. Doesn't have the greatest home life and when left with just her father, she has to learn to fend for herself. They play a mostly silent and interesting manipulative game between each other. When left to her own devices, she ends up finding two other kids on her block that also don't have the best home life. Yet she prefers the company of her father and craves his acceptance above all else.

It took a few chapters to try and figure out exactly what I was reading. This isn't a book that has that big plot line where a mystery needs to be solved, or something big hits you over the head and you're wondering what the hell is happening. Instead, this is a slow burn where the author does a fantastic job in building the atmosphere of this small town and putting you right inside Pippa's head.

I'm torn in the subtlety of the various relationships between the characters without ever pushing you over that cliff... and yet it also makes the ending a bit more impactful. This one is a thinker for me. I appreciate the build of Pippa and getting to know her and her strange ways.... and yet I still also felt like I needed more.

A perfect read for those who love that character study of a little girl who is forced to grow up much faster than she should.